Desmo Due pics feedback/critique please
 

Hi folks,

Just wanted to run something by you all as the board is normally a good place to get honest answers that you don't normally get elsewhere.

Wanted to try and get a feel for what you all thought of the DD pics I took at Cadwell.

So far only 3 have ordered copies which is in line with orders from other race meets I've done recently.

As I would have thought more interest would come from personal pics, I would like to try and find out what reasons there may be for limited responses.

Be as honest as you like....I'm a big boy now...

My initial thoughts/input are:

1) Were they deemed Cr@p by the majority????

2) Are people not bothered in ordering cos they can't get their hands on a printout/CD on on the day rather than ordering post meeting when they've lost interest/forgotten???

3) Are most people just not bothered about pics of themselves anyway????

4) Was the action depicted not good enough or 'pose'/location on track not right???

5) Were my prices to you all deemed too much by the majority??? (I have my arguments ready for this one :D )

That's just an initial brainstorm.......

Let me know folks (as I say be frank if needs be) cos I'd like to know whether this side of photography is a goer or not before I invest too much time in it (I guess it must be cos a fair few people do it in a bigger way than I do which leads me to think there's something wrong with my 'offering').

Thanks in advance for your input.

Regards, Guy

I initially thought that your thumbnails were small, so it's hard to find yourself amongst all the pics.

I also think you're right about the pose value of the pics - while there are some great shots in there most of them are coming towards the camera and that doesn't make great posing pics.

My guess is that Cadwell (woodlands especially) is probably a very difficult track to get some good pics at, apart from coming over the mountain.

How about asking the same thing again after Castle Combe (presuming you're going!) as that might yield better results?

Guy, I havent seen any of your pics of Cadwell - can you point me in the right direction?:)

Having looked at the pony pics, the afternoon shots of the little ones in the fancy dress are great head on - but the morning ones: showjumping & 'in-hand' pics are usually done from the side view, except for presentations. (sorry, am equestrian person, and pics from side on hide a multitude of sins - I havent brought a photo yet of a head on shot, sorry, not trying to be rude, but constructive?)

The MRO & other bike pics etc look great:D

now, those Cadwell pics?:)

C

[Edited on 10-5-2005 by CK and AK]

I haven't even seen them Guy. Where are they posted

Try this thread - but you need to scroll down a long way.

Guido - no particular comment on the piccies as I'm no expert - but I do know one of the regular MotoGP photographers fairly well and even the best struggle to make a decent living.

Here are the direct links to the galleries


http://copeimages.com/Galleries/DSC%...Race/index.htm

http://copeimages.com/Galleries/DSC%...bout/index.htm

http://copeimages.com/Galleries/DSC%...tice/index.htm

Well I always buy pics of myself racing, but I don't think you have one of me in the race :(

Must be the stealth paintwork, coz nobody got me at Cadwell :sniff:

I reckon its because you hid your links at the end of a thread.

There were some great pics in there, but as has already been said, they weren't the best angle for most of the pics.

A track with some fast sweepers will give a better chance for posing knee down shots and should yield a better reponse to the pics. Maybe most are waiting for these type of shots?

Also, you posted just small thumbnails (as you were quite rightly rushed off your feet) and you would normally post the big pics.

I reckon if you've got the chance, repost with the larger images and you should get better responses.

Tim

Thanks folks,

As far as the thumbnails go, I was rushed a little to gett hem up (by myself I hasten to add not others, although I knew you'd be keen to see them).

I would normally rename all the files by race number so they appear in that order on the site, but that take a huge amount of time to do.

You're maybe right about Cadwell Woodland too. I love the sweeping right handers where as a snapper you can get on the inside and shoot the subjects at high speed cranked over.

Domski, There are a couple of you in there, but I have to admit somehting to all.............

I lost a the full set of Race one Pics. I stood on the grid for the start and shot a few of you lined up and then dashed to the infield side of the mountain for the remainder of the race. Those pics cannot be found anywhere and I can only assume I've overwritten them in the transfer from Microdrive to laptop stage. :mad::mad::mad:

You learn by your mistakes as they say...

Keep any feedback coming tho as it's useful for me.

CK, thanx for the comments on the Gymkhana...my first go at that and boy is it diffferent to bikes.....at least I know now to look for a horse with it's ears forward, I may not know why, but at least I know to.

not a racer, but i had a look anyway..
as has been said before, larger thumbnails / previews would be great.
all the shots seem to be on the same same corner, i realise that you can't more during the race, but maybe switch corners between race 1 and race 2.

when i followed the link there is no mention that the pics are for sale, you might want to mention that on every page.

If I'm being *really* critical, your image gallery software sucks too ;)

Try something like http://jalbum.net/ as it looks much, much betterer (see this).

Guy, the horsey stuff is quite difficult.

You need to know a bit about conformation of the horse too - as this will help in getting a good 'pose' for a side on standing shot. Their legs need to be in such a place as to show the length of shoulder/rein, and also a good hock, also as you say, ears pricked - with the head not to high or too low (sorry for tech terms)
Can bring pics at next race meeting to show you if you like?

C:)

I would agree with most of the comments here.
I too try and get some pix of most of the races I'm in, and the ones I like best are zoomed in less than yours, and show a more side-on view.
Your thumbnails are definitely way too small, and you need to make people want to see the pic cos they _know_ its them, not _have_ to enlarge it to see if it _is_ them ;)
A friend runs a site that is not bad - and he takes great pix and gets them published - and would prob talk to you about pros and cons too.
Here's a link to his site (with my last race I just happened to be looking at) : http://www.sport-pics.co.uk/2005%20S...nsat/index.htm

There's no pics in there that make me look any good... but somehow I don't think that's your fault Guy!

What I'd like in a pic, and probably not possible anywhere at Cadders woodland, is one taken from the inside of a fast bend, knee on the floor and looking round the bend in the direction of the lense. I've seen many of these taken by your good self at BSB and they're spot on. I suspect CC should present some good opportunities for this.

Also there's a prize for anyone who can capture BOTH my wheels off the deck over t'mountain. It has happened, honest, but I just have no evidence!

Like this...



...on Louigi's 748 w/e before DD.

Not quite BSB 3 feet off the tarmac :o:o

Actually, I'm sure that pic shows me on the way down from a heeeeeuuuuuge leap :lol::lol::lol:

[Edited on 11-5-2005 by domskidue]

Look closely...



...there is defo daylight under that back wheel :D:D:lol:

One of Guido's...



Young Jim Ellison :D

Looks like a photoshop job to me ;)

I wish I knew how to use it dude :lol:

I'd make it impressive for a start :P

Hear what you say chaps about the thumbnails. That's the easy bit to sort.....

Time is my main issue as it takes nigh on 3 full evenings each up to 11pm after a race meeting to get the 1000 or so images I take converted to Jpeg, reduced in size, watermarked and then renamed so that they appear in name or race number order.....That's if I don't have a marriage or life outside of it!!!!!

The gallery issue is a known prob, but it's easy for me at the mo cos I just hit a button in Photoshop and it does it all for me, (reducing and thumbnails). I'm looking at a cool gallery program att he mo but just need to get it working with my domain provider.. That should make it more user friendly...

Thanks agin for the feedback.

Guy

JAlbum will thumbnail all your images for you, and can then even FTP them to your website. You should take a look as it's pretty much a total solution...
http://jalbum.net/quickstart.jsp

Antonye's spot on with the JAlbum software, I checked out loads of others last weekend but JAlbum is way better than anything else i tried.
Adding the filters is a bit of a pain as you cant cut and paste the text in. It's all case sensitive too, but you only have to type stuff in once.

And its free.....................amazing!

Thanks chaps,

Will take a look at JAlbum then........